This invention relates to a method of securing at least two articles together in a predetermined relationship and a fixture for use in practicing such method.
In a number of manufacturing operations, it often is required to position two or more articles such as panels made of wood, plastic and other materials, relative to each other and secure such articles together. Examples of such operations are the positioning of various panels in the manufacture of furniture and the positioning of various panels in the manufacture of cabinets, display stands and the like. Typically, such articles are positioned in predetermined relationships and fastened together by adhesives, mechanical fasteners or other means. The positioning of such articles traditionally has been accomplished either manually or by the use of various types of fixtures. Manual positioning, however, often has been found to be difficult, cumbersome or imprecise. Although the use of various types of fixtures have been found to be more expedient, such fixtures have been found to be comparatively expensive to manufacture, limited in application and time consuming to assemble for use. Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved method for positioning two or more articles in predetermined relationships to be secured together by various means which is simple in procedure and expedient to perform, and a novel fixture adapted for use in such method.
The present invention provides a simple and expedient method of positioning at least two articles in a predetermined relationship to permit such articles to be secured together, generally consisting of providing a fixture comprising a body having at least two abutment surfaces disposed in such predetermined relationship, each of such surfaces having a port closable upon positioning one of the articles on such surface in abutting relation therewith, and a passageway communicating with such port and communicable with a vacuum source, and a valve disposed in such passageway normally disposed in a closed position and operable to open upon positioning the article in abutting relationship on such surface; applying a vacuum to such passageway of the fixture; and then positioning such articles on the fixture surfaces in abutting relation to correspondingly cause such valves to open and thus apply a vacuum to the articles, further causing them to be retained in such predetermined relationship. With such articles retained in such predetermined relationships, they may be secured together by various means including adhesives, mechanical fasteners and any other suitable means.